Three shootings in less than two weeks have some MetroLink riders questioning whether riding the train is safe. Place and police are important to personal safety, but so are personal actions. Steve Nagysnagy@bnd.com

Three shootings in less than two weeks have some MetroLink riders questioning whether riding the train is safe. Place and police are important to personal safety, but so are personal actions. Steve Nagysnagy@bnd.com

That may mean you stay on the train, or stay with the crowd, or ask a cop or a trustworthy fellow passenger to walk you to your car. It may be as simple as being aware of your surroundings.

Common sense tells you that the same place that is safe at 11 a.m. is not safe at 11 p.m. If your arms are loaded with packages and you are talking on your cell, you make a better target than someone walking briskly and scanning the area. If you throw your keys and run, your carjacking is less likely to become a kidnapping.

You can’t guarantee your personal safety, or expect police to be everywhere. You can improve your odds.